Secret Missions of the Civil War [Hardcover]

Philip Van Doren Stern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1990

By Philip Van Doren Stern. Prominent Civil War historian has woven a compelling history of the Civil War from first hand accounts by men and women who undertook secret missions and were involved in underground activities for both sides. Discussions of codes and ciphers used during this war. 320 pages. 6 X 9.

Editorial Reviews

Review

?Here are the stories of spies and undercover agents, both Union and Confederate, based on long-suppressed secret service files....Mr. Stern has traced the evolution of Civil War underground activity.?-Library Journal --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

Here are the stories of spies and undercover agents, both Union and Confederate, based on long-suppressed secret service files....Mr. Stern has traced the evolution of Civil War underground activity. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bonanza (May 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517000024
• ISBN-13: 978-0517000021
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, May 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Secret Missions of the Civil War (Hardcover)

Secret Missions of the Civil War was a very good book. I did not expect it to be anywhere near how good it actually was. It was very interesting and entertaining. The fact that the book is actually comprised of quite a few short stories on different secret missions makes it all the more interesting. The book never had a chance to get boring because the stories were constantly changing. There were many things I found out about in this book that I never knew about at all. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone at all interested in the Civil War. It is entertaining, yet you can still learn something from it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Naval than secret, September 20, 2005

By 

M. Perkins "vtmom13" (Bennington County, Vermont United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Missions of the Civil War (Hardcover)

This was an interesting little book, containing many not so well known parts of the Civil war. I wouldn't consider it to be quite correctly titled however. The stories were not so much about secret missions as they were, little piece of the struggle that makes up war. This book mostly covers naval history, and in this being an underreported part of the war make for good and different reading. You should be warned however, as most of the information included in this book is from first hand accounts, the accuracy is sometimes sketchy. I know for instance that the store about the raid on St Albans,VT contain many errors, including town names. Still I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War, and it's lesser known battles.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Effective insight into the smaller stories of the war, September 1, 2006

By 

N. Smith "castle_stormer" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Missions of the Civil War (Hardcover)

Stern's book caters to all readers, regardless if interested in the Civil War. The author recounts the main actions of each year of the war before delving into some unique stories. As a reviewer mentions, the book attests to many naval escapades. Of the 24 stories recounted, nine deal with naval events. Others revolve around female spying, cavalry raids, explosives, the attempts by the South to burn New York City, prison escapes, and the Draft Riots. All stories are interesting, but since these are first hand accounts, there is the exaggeration, embellishment, and arrogance associated with the desire to make one's contribution to the war much more than what it really was. Case in point is the story on Belle Boyd, the southern belle who believed that her intelligence spying contributed to Stonewall Jackson's victory at Front Royal. Well, that really wasn't the case, though her account makes it seem to be case. Anyone can locate documentation countering either side of this story, though more of it leans toward dispelling any real contribution on her part. Nevertheless, to read the first-person account helps immerse one into the 19th century and makes for a fascinating read.

Any casual reader can appreciate this book and read it within one or two days. If one is interested in a more in depth analysis of intelligence activities, take a look at Edwin Fishel's "The Secret War for the Union," a massive and impressive 594-page treatment on the subject.